European Mediterranean states to meet in Cyprus over Middle East and migration

Leaders from nine European countries around the Mediterranean Sea are set to meet in Cyprus Friday to discuss the ongoing wars in the Middle East, which they are affected by but have limited ability to influence.

Heads of state or government from France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Greece, Cyprus, Malta, Slovenia and Croatia are to be joined by the king of Jordan, Abdullah II, for the one-day meeting in the Cypriot city of Paphos.

Countries such as Italy, Greece and Spain are the main arrival points in the EU for migrants displaced by war or fleeing poverty, with around 55,000 people crossing the Mediterranean in the first six months of the year, EU data shows.

Israel's ongoing bombardment of Gaza, its expanding invasion of Lebanon and rising tensions with Iran have raised fears of a wider regional conflict that would have a major impact on migrant flows, as well as Europe's security and economy.

In the Middle East, "our levers are limited, but it's about creating more convergence at a European level", an aide to French President Emmanuel Macron told reporters on Thursday.

Macron angered Israel's government last weekend by suggesting that countries should "stop delivering weapons to fight in Gaza", while specifying that France was not supplying any itself.

The European Union has historically been one of the biggest funders of humanitarian projects in the Palestinian territories and Friday's meeting is set to discuss "an increase in humanitarian aid for Gaza", the French aide said.

Israel has heavily restricted aid deliveries into Gaza, meaning hospitals and clinics lack supplies, while food shortages have caused malnutrition and worsened disease, aid workers say.

"It will also be an opportunity to talk about the way the European Union can do more for the West Bank and the need to reinforce the Palestinian Authority," the French aide continued.

Other items on the agenda for Friday's meeting in Cyprus include coordinating on issues such as forest fires, EU competitiveness and bilateral EU-Jordan relations.

Israel invaded the Gaza Strip after last year's October 7 attack by Hamas militants that resulted in the deaths of 1,206 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures, which include hostages killed in captivity.

Israel's retaliatory offensive has killed more than 42,000 people in Gaza, according to figures from the Hamas-run territory's health ministry that the UN has described as reliable.

(AFP)